Kansas counties already had started dropping or weakening mask rules before lawmakers toppled Gov. Laura Kelly's newly reissued order requiring them. More counties are expected to follow suit.
Kelly's order was similar to one passed in November. It was always porous, allowing the state's 105 counties to set their own possibly less restrictive rules or opt out of the order entirely. The governor was required to reissue it Thursday under a new Kansas law. That law also gives eight top legislators the power to reject her efforts to set rules to address the pandemic.
The lawmakers overturned Kelly's order hours later. That left counties that hadn't set their own rules without mask requirements.
